The United Jewish Friendly Society was formed on 1 January 1949 from an amalgamation of two Jewish friendly societies, the Order Achei Brith and the Order Achei Ameth. The Order Achei Brith grew from the formation in 1888 of a friendly society to provide insurance against complete loss of income and as a means of social life among a group of Jewish refugees who had fled to Britain to escape religious persecutions in Central and Eastern Europe. The first branch was called the King Solomon Lodge and contributions were paid ensuring payment in cases of sickness, death and mourning. In 1894 a second branch was formed, the King David Lodge, and from this the Order Achei Brith emerged. A second association, the Order Achei Ameth, was founded in 1897: by 1903 it had expanded to 12 lodges, a membership of 1,070 and in the same year it founded its first ladies’ lodge. Later developments included mixed lodges and Achei Brith founded a Juveniles Section in 1929. In 1924, the Order Achei Brith was presented by Mr and Mrs Isaac Seligman with Shoyswell Manor, Etchingham Sussex, for use as a convalescent home; it was requisitioned by the government and used as an old people’s home during the war, returning to its former use in 1946. In 1950, on the closure of the Convalescent Home of the Association of Jewish Friendly Societies, members of other societies were offered places at Shoyswell. The home was transferred to Eastbourne in 1956, where it continued to be known as the Seligman Convalescent Home. The United Jewish Friendly Society was dissolved on 31 December 1979.
Our team of volunteers have been digitising and repacking our collections of collars, making them more accessible whilst creating extra store space due to more efficient storage.
Were you or a family member part of a Friendly Society? Enquiries relating to individuals, or lodges can be made by emailing [email protected] and we shall be happy to run searches for you to see what can be found.